Five Years
by autumn-leaf16
Summary: The conversation between Aarin Gend and the PC before she leaves Neverwinter then a conversation between Aribeth and the PC many years later made her realize her true feelings for Aarin Gend.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note: Last night, I was thinking about how sad it is that in Neverwinter Night, the PC does not get together with Aarin Gend, since she left the city while he stayed. So I suddenly had an idea to try and write a short one-shot on the two of them- their last conversation. This is one of my random pieces so there probably would be quite a lot of mistakes and inaccuracies. As for the title, I don't know what to call it but I want to put it up now, and I don't want to leave it with no title, so somehow that title just came up.**_

_**Please have a read and review it if you enjoyed it in anyway! If this is successful I might extend it a bit, but right now, it is a one-shot.**_

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He knew fully well that once she left him, he would probably never be able to grasp her hand once more. He also knew too well, that such a miracle was not likely to happen a second time.

That was why he pulled her into his embrace without answering her.

But she gently stepped back, shaking her head.

"Give me the answer, Aarin." She repeated, her voice hardening. "I must know you answer first."

Still he said nothing, he only continued to look at her in that silence he was long used to, but silence was no longer the perfect refuge. He could not continue to take shelter in it as he once did.

She taught him how to love again, and he could not simply forget her lessons and retreat into the lonely world he had live in. No, he would miss her, he needed her now that he found her…he did not want to be lonely when he realized what it was like to experience companionship, as well as being loved in return.

Yet his duty was equally important. He loved this city that he was bound to serve, and he did not know whether he could forgive himself if he abandoned it right now, when it needed him to help it to heal.

"So you do love the city more then me." She whispered accusingly. "So I am to lose not due to another woman…not due to you dead lover, but to this city."

It was Neverwinter who gave him his purpose of living when he was on the edge of losing his identity. That was the reason of his devotion, for the city had become his reason of existence, and by serving it he as able to make peace with himself.

It was even Neverwinter who brought him to her.

He remembered how she had seemed so strong when he first met her, leaving him with no doubt that this capable women was the hero most claimed her to be.

She had been wearing her armour with her spear beside her, and the design had made him examine it closely, as it was from the Uthgard tribe- who rarely give their weapons to outsiders, and she was said to be from Amn.

Upon a closer look, he saw that it was actually a weapon of the ultimate honour. Only given to those who were regarded as a hero by the tribe.

Strangely enough he kept on recollecting how her hair had been braided and then wounded up around her forehead, with only a green ribbon as an additional ornament.

Her hair was now completely loose and decorated with flowers, while a simple dress has replaced her armour. She was showing him that they could leave all this behind and become a pair of ordinary lovers: not the duty-bound spymaster and the soon to be out of favour hero of Neverwinter, but just as a man and woman.1

"I can not do what you want." He said. "Raven, I cannot leave this city, at least not right now. Neverwinter needs me."

"Do I not need you too?" she interrupted bitterly.

"Perhaps I am like most men, for I do wonder whether the woman I love need me if she is so capable herself." He admitted sadly.

"Then know that I am like most woman. 'Capable' as I might be, I do not want to be alone. I do need you! Come with me, Aarin," she implored once more. "You have done too much for this city already. But I…I have received you love and nothing else. I need your presence too!"2

"I must see Neverwinter recover." He began , grabbing her hand. "Give me but a few years time…"

"I will not stay in this city anymore!" she retorted angrily, snatching her hand away. "Aarin, it is too late for you to heal this place! It has already died. The balance has tilted too much."

"Then I must help the city to be reborn."

"I will not stay here." She repeated. "I doubt that I can stay here even if I want to."

"Will you…will you not wait for me?"

He desperately wanted her to nod, but he was no longer so naïve as to think of love as being something that was eternal. The truth was that it was not easy to retain your love on someone when you believed them to not love you enough. Even worse, was when you loved someone who was no longer by you side.

They both knew this, but they had learnt their lessons differently.

"You are not the first man I have loved," She whispered as she reached to clench his necklace in her first tightly. "But I had hoped that you would be the last…I still hope that you would be the last man I love. I know though, that love is such a weak and fragile being. The balance of the love we bear for the ones who are no longer there is the easiest thing to be outweighed."

"I only need five years."

"That is too long a time. I can not promise you anything. Why…" much to his surprise she actually began to cry. Shocked, he could only act on his instinct. Wiping her tears with his hand before he embraced her tightly.

"Why do you love this city more then me?" her voice was muffled, and tears were actually openly streaking down from her face. He had never seen her cry before, not even when she witnessed the executions, as she knew that she, out of all people, had to act strong.

"Did you not say that you want to be with me more then anything? What about your dreams of travelling on the sea with me."

"I do want to be with you more then anything." He said firmly, "But Raven, I own Neverwinter this much. That is why, I cannot go with you right now."

"Cities are always ravaged…will you have me wait for you forever?"

Tilting her head up she gave him a brief kiss before she pushed him away. Turning around she shook her head sadly before she began to walk toward the door…

Walking away from him.

"I only ask for five years, Raven." He implored again.

"I will try." Raven said very softly, closing her eyes she let her tears slide down her face silently this time. "I will try and remember that you love me so much. Most of all, I will even tell myself that I am the one you love the most, that you do love me more then this city."

Then she left him, and he could only hope that this would not be the last time he would be able to see her.

The only hope that he could cling onto was the image of how she had been grasping the necklace which he had gave her. He was sure that she wanted to stay in love with him as well.

But it was hard for them to not abandon idealism, as too much had already happened.3

"I do love you, and I always will." He promised.

Walking to his desk, he began to scribble on the map of Neverwinter that he had been studying before she entered. After only a few moments he laid his quill down in frustration.

All he could think now, as he stared at the map, was whether she had been to these various places, and what she had done there."

"Have I made a mistake?" he asked himself as he picked up his quill once more.

"Is my duty to Neverwinter that much weaker then my love for you?"

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_1 This bit is referring to how the hero fall out of favour with Lord Nasher_

_2 What I am trying to say is that she is saying that she is an ordinary woman, an ordinary human, even though people are regarding her as a hero, and that like most people, she cannot bear to be alone._

_3 I am not sure if I agree with this, as I think Aarin Gend is actually still very idealistic despite all that had happened to him. But somehow this line came out…_

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**_ Author's Note: well, there it is. Finished. Once again, please review if you like it in anyway (like most authors, reviews mean a lot). One last thing: this PC is a druid._**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note: To those who have actually been waiting for this story, sorry for the wait but here it is! the idea jsut randomly came just then!!! The second part, which should hopefully conclude the story. Kind of ironic that I am updating a completed story…according to the information on All this refers to the hoards of underdark. Why, because that's the only game in the Neverwinter night series that I have played beside the original campaign._**

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She had been to many strange places, such as the past, but she felt that this current adventure of hers had took her to the most unusual places any one could ask for. 

She went to the underdark after first going through the most insane dungeons she ever been in, and she had met a bunch of winged elves that were cursed to do the opposite or normality. Now, she was in Cania, one of the nine hells.

And to think that all this started because of a theft. Though her weapons and armours were of great value to her, it was the absence of her necklace that made her enter the undermountain. She was a druid, so she naturally hated any place that was isolated from nature.

Yet, there was that one dungeon that she was almost fond of, because it had brought her a compliment.

"Such a person must be mighty and clever indeed, don't you think?" he had complimented her with an uncharacteristic grin as he saw her. "There can be no room for doubts on your abilities now."1

To complicate matters even more, she was now faced to face with someone she rather not see again.

"Aribeth. Aribeth de Tylmarande." Raven whispered softly at the beaten figure in front of her. "So we meet again."

"Do you know this woman?" Valen asked beside her, his hand still holding onto his weapon tightly.

"I knew her." The hero of Neverwinter said.

"Yes…I seem to know you, but I cannot remember. Why?" Aribeth said in frustration. "Why have all these memories been taken from me?"

"You don't know boss?" Deekin chimed in. "Boss is hero of Neverwinter and…"2

"RAVEN!" Aribeth interrupted the flow of epitaph the bard was prepared to recite by a loud shout of the other's name. "It is you then."

"So you remember me, Aribeth? Do you even remember what you have done to Neverwinter?"

"I…" closing her eyes she seemed to try to see something that she only see in her mind, as there was nothing but snow beyond their visions.

"I remember that I betrayed the city, and I remember that you did not. You…you killed me," but there was no anger or even emotion in her voice, Aribeth simply said this in a matter of fact tone. "Then I somehow ended up here."

"Raven, should we not continue with our travels?" Valen pointed out. "Time is running even as we dally here."

"What should I do with her then?" she asked him, her voice barely audible.

Until now, he had never thought that she might actually need someone's advice. Though she had expressed her doubt and ability, she had handled everything rather well, even the siege.

"I cannot just leave her there, as she was once my friend. But I don't trust her either, after what she has done." Raven explained,

"Then we'll take her with us for now." He decided for her. "I…I will make sure that she will not harm you, Raven."

"I think you misunderstand me, Valen. But, Aribeth will come with us."

"I will not betray you again." Aribeth said bitterly. "For what reason would I do that now that Fenthick is gone from me forever?"

"I almost envy Fenthcik, despite what happened to you two." Raven replied instead, her hand automatically moved to grasp her necklace. "At lease you loved him more then you love Neverwinter."

They walked in silence for a long time because all saw that Raven clearly no longer wished to talk. For most of the time she would be glaring hard at her necklace, occasionally sparing a glance at the sleeping man's ring, and only speaking when it was necessary to do so.

Valen wanted to ask Raven many things, but he still found himself unable to do so. Perhaps it was due to the distrust he had shown her, which made it difficult even after he apologised. But it was because he was starting to regard her in a rather strange, yet familiar way.

Deekin on the other hand, was too occupied with his songs to notice the strange events. The kobold bard also believed that a person should only tell another person their past when they wanted to.

Aribeth was too lost in her memories as to speak to Raven, she felt that she had to remember before she can ask.

"There was this man who seemed to love you." Aribeth suddenly said. "I remember him talking to me about you. He was always so worried about you."

"You remember Aarin?" Raven asked, halting in her path.

"Is that his name? Once, I saw you talking to him, and he gave you something. He gave you that necklace and I remember hearing his words too. Yes, he loved you although he did not dare to admit that yet.

"He was a friend of mine too, that is why I know. Where is he then? Why isn't he with you?"

"Raven, are you sure you wish to be burdened with the past again?" Valen pointed out urgently. "I did that once and I…"

"But this is not my past." Raven answered instead, turning away from him to face Aribeth. "Aarin is in Neverwinter."

"Why isn't he with you? Does this man not love you enough?" Valen said indignantly.

"He doesn't love me enough as to abandon everything and go with me, just as I don't love him enough to tell him that I will wait." Raven finally admitted, recollecting the last time she saw her lover. "I made a mistake. I do love him that much."

"So I lost before I even have a chance." Valen said bitterly. "But Raven, I hold you no blame at all. But yet you never mentioned this man!"

"You never asked me either. I…I left him and began many adventurers without knowing what I really wanted. I tried not to think about him so I never told any one about how I do love someone. Then one day I realized I was actually counting down the time although I refused to admit it.

"There is only one week left. I still love him so much." She realized. "Perhaps it is seeing Aribeth that forced me to remember everything that has happened in Neverwinter. I think I am like her as well, I try to forget all the unpleasant memories.

"I will go back to him."

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_1 The first part is what Aarin Gend says to the PC when she completes Mutamin's challenge in the Green Griffon Inn. I just really like that bit, when I first saw it I just thought: "Oh that is so sweet!!!" But I don't know if he says it to a male PC or not, since I only played the game once as a female._

_2 I don't know why I am putting Deekin in as I actually had Nathyrra in my group, and I didn't keep Aribeth either. And well…the meeting with Aribeth will be very different for the sake of this story._

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_**Author's Note: ok…somehow it turned out to be like this. I shall upload it, although I am not that sure about it. But well…why not. So…a happy every after ending I guess, Raven will finish this and go back to Neverwinter and find Aarin Gend- who will be waiting for her. Somehow it ended up very conversation filled, but oh well, it's not that bad. Please review.**_


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